This invention pertains to apparatus for crimping new paper money so that it may be separated and counted easily and accurately.
As is well known, new paper money is supplied to banks and other financial institutions in the form of bills which are stacked, firmly compressed, and bound. The use of such money is made difficult by the fact that it tends to stick together, both initially and when restacked, so that it cannot be counted and handled easily and accurately.
The problem is of particular importance with money to be used in serve-yourself cash machines now widely used in banks. This stick-together condition of the bills persists until the bills have lost their tendency to stick together through repeated handling and use.
Blaire U.S. Pat. No. 3,738,642 approaches the problem by proposing apparatus comprising interdigitated belts through which new money is passed for crimping. However, such apparatus is impractical because it is comparatively complex in construction, noisy in operation, and of relatively low capacity.
It accordingly is the principal object of the present invention to provide paper money crimping apparatus which will fluff and separate new paper money rapidly and effectively so that the money thereafter may be counted and handled with speed and accuracy.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide paper money crimping apparatus which is of high capacity, being capable of processing money in the form of bundles of as many as twenty five bills each, and which does not tear or curl the money as it is being processed.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of paper money crimping apparatus provided with means for guiding the money effectively through the apparatus so that it proceeds in a straight line flow to the apparatus discharge, without deviation and without dropping downwardly between the crimping elements.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of paper money crimping apparatus which is of simple, rugged construction, which is durable in operation, and which requires but little adjustment or maintenance throughout its service life.
Still a further object of the present invention is the provision of new paper money crimping apparatus which is safe and quiet in operation.